Saving Bucky
by jedi gone bounty hunter
Summary: Steve, Natasha, and Sam finally track down the Winter Soldier. Now they take him to Natasha's house in Maine to try to get him back to normal. But that task is easier said than done. (ships: Bucky/Natasha) This is a Slash free fic! (characters may be slightly OOC @ times...)
1. Trackdown

**A/N**: All right! Here's the first chapter of this fic!

Rated teen for suggestive content and mild adult themes. Not suitable for kiddo's under 13.

Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel's stuff.

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><p>After several weeks of trailing him, Steve finally caught up with the Winter Soldier. He had told Sam to stay behind at the hotel to wait for him to call if he needed help. It was midnight and Steve was crouched behind a bush watching him walk through a park. He must still be on the run, because the past week, when Steve had finally caught on to his trail, he seemed to be traveling at night.<p>

Suddenly, he heard a twig snap from behind him. He turned to see two shadows silhouetted by the neon city lights.

"Hey Steve." The first one said.

"Sam?" Steve asked in disbelief.

"And Natasha." Natasha added.

"How did you-"

"What? You didn't think we'd let you do this on your own did you?" Sam asked.

"Well, if you're going to help keep it down, he's right over there." Steve said directing them to where the Winter Soldier was.

"So what's the plan?" Natasha asked.

"I was going to ask him to come with us." Steve shrugged.

"Yeah, I'll bet he'll like that." Same scoffed.

"Stay here in case I need back up." Steve ordered, then took off.

He crept along a good yard behind the Winter Soldier. He snuck closer and closer, praying that his plan would work. When he got close enough, he decided to set his plan into action.

"Hey, Bucky." He said quietly.

The Winter Soldier turned around, eyes wide.

"You again? What, are you following me or something?" He growled.

"Sort of." Steve said, ready incase of attack. "I want to help you. I'm not here to capture you."

"I've heard that one before." The Winter Soldier smirked, pulling out his gun.

"Don't you think if I was here to capture you or kill you, I would have done so when you didn't know I was there?" Steve said.

"I've seen people with stranger logics." He said loading his gun and switching the safety off.

Then Steve heard a gun shot. The Winter Solder promptly fell over, dropping his gun. Sam and Natasha came over.

"Sorry, I just tranquilized him, don't worry." Natasha explained.

"Uh, thanks." Steve said.

"So now what?" Sam asked.

"We have to take him someplace safe and away from civilization." Steve said.

"I have a place that's … a pretty good hike from any town." Natasha suggested.

"All right then, we'll take him there." Steve agreed.

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><p><strong>AN**: Hope you all are liking it so far! Please review!


	2. Home Sweet Home

**A/N**: Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel!

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><p>A few days later, they arrived at Natasha's house. It was on the outskirts of a small town in central Maine. It was a good day's hike to the more populated part of the town and the driveway alone was a good 15 minute drive off the main road.<p>

The house was a smallish cabin next to a lake. You could see the tops of some nearby mountains over the tall pine trees. Other than the naturally growing flowers and plants, there was no garden.

"Wow, this is nice." Sam commented as they parked in the driveway.

"Yeah, Sorry about the lack of gardening, I don't generally do that kind of stuff." Natasha said.

"It's fine, besides we're not here because of your botanical skills." Steve said.

"We should get him inside before he wakes up." Natasha said, gesturing to the Winter Soldier who was still out cold (due to the tranquilizers) in the back seat

It took the three of them, but they got him into the house successfully. The inside looked very friendly. Most of the colors were muted pastels and it gave the place a generally warm feel.

They brought the Winter Soldier into the living room and laid him down on the couch. Natasha quickly ran back out to the car to get her suitcases.

"So… now what do we do with him?" Sam asked.

"We'll let him wake up on his own." Steve said.

"Well, in that case, I better go get my things too." Sam said.

"I'll be right there." Steve said.

He stood there staring at the Winter Soldier, Bucky, for a few seconds. He really hoped they could help him, because if they couldn't, he didn't know what they would have to do.

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><p>They all brought their things inside and brought them to Natasha's guest rooms. Lucky enough, she had three.<p>

After they were all unpacked it was eight o'clock, so they decided to have a late dinner. They called in pizza and Sam went and picked it up. They all sat at the table eating quietly.

The kitchen was connected to the living room with no wall, so the could easily keep tabs on the Winter Soldier.

"So what do we call him when he wakes up?" Sam asked.

"Whatever he wants us to call him." Steve stated, sipping his soda.

"I just hope he wants help in the first place." Sam muttered.

"Well, Natasha should be able to help. She was in a position much like his a while back." Steve said.

"Really?" Sam asked.

"Yes." Natasha sighed. "When I was young, I lived in Russia. I was trained to use my skill set to the max. I assassinated people, just like he did. He even helped train me."

"Excuse me!?" Sam exclaimed, choking on his soda.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you in the middle of the night. S.H.I.E.L.D helped me, made me good." Natasha explained.

"Hopefully with your similar knowledge, we'll be able to get him back to normal." Steve said.

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><p><strong>AN**: Thanks for reading, please review!

Next chapter: _IT'S ALIVE!_ Bucky wakes up, what will happen?!


	3. Pizza Night

**A/N**: Sorry for not posting sooner, I've been super busy. So here's Bucky's first official chapter he's in. (I don't think the other two counted)

Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel's stuff.

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><p>Bucky woke up, but didn't open his eyes. He heard voices talking behind him. He was on something soft, a bed perhaps? Last thing he remembered was pointing a gun at that Steve Rogers guy. Then black.<p>

He opened his eyes and was almost startled at what he saw. He was in a cabin-like home with a color scheme of muted pastels. It looked like everything had been in the sun too long and had gotten faded.

He sat up and heard the whispers stop. He was wrong, he was on a couch, not a bed. He turned around and saw the room he was in connected to a kitchen. There were three people at a tablet the center of the small kitchen, and he recognized easy one of them.

"Where have you taken me?" He asked angrily.

"Superhero rehab." Sam joked.

"To a safe place where we are going to try to help you." Steve said.

"Why do you want to help me?" He asked.

"Because we used to be friends, you would have done the same for me." Steve stated.

Bucky sat there for a moment, still wondering why anyone would want to help him of all people. He was a bad person, even he knew that, yet these people didn't seem to care.

"Do you want some pizza?"

Bucky snapped out of his thoughts. It was the red haired girl who had said it. "What?"

"Pizza… you know, Italian food? You haven't eaten in a while." She said.

Again he was astonished that anyone cared that he hadn't eaten and that he might be hungry. He didn't know what to do.

"What do you want us to call you?" Sam asked. "Winter soldier or Bucky?"

"Bucky might sound a bit more normal." He found himself saying. Why was he opening up to these strangers? Maybe it was because they seemed to care about him.

"Do you want some pizza, Bucky?" Steve asked.

"And some soda?" Sam added.

"Sure." He muttered.

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><p><strong>AN**: Sorry it's so short, the next one's going to be a bit longer.

Thanks for reading, please review!


	4. Sleepless in Maine

**A/N**: Sorry, but I've been busy the past two weekends, but I'll try to start posting again. Please enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel.

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><p>"So why was I out for so long?" Bucky asked.<p>

"We kept tranquilizing you." Natasha stated.

"We wanted to get you up here without an… incident." Steve said.

Bucky nodded and it looked like he was lost in thought. Natasha ate her pizza on edge, ready at any moment to whip out her gun.

"Well, it's getting late. I'm going to go to bed." Sam yawned. He put his plate and glass in the sink then walked off to his room.

"Do you want me to show you to your room?" Steve asked Bucky, putting his dishes in the sink too.

"I have a room?" Bucky asked.

"Yeah, follow me." Steve said.

Bucky reluctantly followed Steve down the hall. Natasha was wondering why Bucky was so placid. The other day, he was ready to kill Steve without a second thought, now he was very calm. Maybe, she thought to herself, it's the tranquilizing drugs. Natasha took care of her dishes then followed them. She felt a little nervous, since her room was right across from his, but she had to trust that he wouldn't try to kill her. She didn't, but that's why she had a hidden weapon n her room.

"Yeah, we'll have to go to town to get you some more clothes too." Steve thought out loud.

"We can do that tomorrow." Natasha suggested.

"All right." Steve said. "I'll be in the room next door if you need anything."

Bucky nodded and Steve and Natasha left the room, closing the door after themselves.

"I don't like this. He is too… compliant." Natasha said.

"We have to try, Natasha." Steve said.

"I know, I'm just worried." She said.

"That's how people stay alive." Steve smirked, walking to his room. "Good night."

"Night." She answered and she walked into her room.

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><p>After all these years, Bucky still hadn't gotten used to sleeping with his metal arm. Depending on which way he laid, it wouldn't do what he wanted it to. Sometimes he would feel it brush up against his skin and would be surprised by the cold touch before realizing it was his own arm. To avoid that, he would lay on his side and have it sticking out away from himself.<p>

Tonight was no different and on top of that, he was in a new, strange place.

He couldn't sleep, so he stayed up thinking. He was wondering why he was letting these people help him. They seemed to be genuinely concerned, but he hadn't survived this long by trusting everything everyone said to him.

He sighed realizing that he wasn't going to be getting much sleep tonight.

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><p><strong>AN**: Please review! I love to hear what you guys have to say.

Just so you know, I'm trying to make Bucky more winter soldier-y, but I already have most of the first chapters written, so there's not a lot of wiggle I'll try though.


	5. Natalia

**A/N**: Here's the next chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel.

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><p>Natasha woke up the next morning, which was a good sign in its own right. She had stayed up pretty much all night, half expecting the Winter Soldier- Bucky- to come in and shoot her where she lay.<p>

She got up and opened her shade, and window, letting the sunshine and fresh Maine air in. She breathed the crisp air and instantly felt rejuvenated. She was going to need that today.

Stretching, she walked out of her room and into the kitchen. Apparently, she was the first one up. She turned on the coffee machine to start to warm up the water and opened the windows in the living room area.

After that, she quietly snuck into Steve's room to open his window. Then she went and did the same in Sam's room. Finally at the third door, Bucky's room, she paused. She really didn't want to disturb him. What if he woke up, didn't remember where he was, and tried to kill her? Sure, she could defend herself, but she really wanted to avoid any incidents.

Pulling herself together, she opened the door a crack. He was sleeping what appeared to be peacefully. She opened the door the rest of the way and walked in.

As she opened the shade, she heard him stir behind her.

"Natalia?" She heard him mumble.

"What?" She asked whirling around, a flood of forgotten memories pouring back into her mind.

Now awake, he looked like he hadn't slept at all.

"Sorry, you just looked like…"

"Natalia Romanova?" She asked, cutting him off.

"How do you know?" He asked, now suspicious.

"That was my old name." Natasha said.

He didn't say anything but he looked like he had just seen a ghost.

"So then…"

"We knew each other." She quickly interrupted before leaving the room. Her water had probably finished heating up by now.

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><p>When Steve woke up, he realized that someone had opened his window shade to let the light in. He quickly got up and found a shirt to put on. Then he went out into the kitchen.<p>

"Good morning Natasha." He said groggily. She was sitting at the table sipping coffee. She looked disturbed. "You all right?"

"What? Oh, yeah I am." She said.

"Seriously, what's up?" He asked, sitting down.

"I went into… Bucky's room to open the shade… and he called me something- something I though nobody other than Fury and Clint knew." She said.

"What?"

Natalia. My old name, before I was good, was Natalia Romanova." She said.

"Okay, so I guess he knew you." Steve said.

"Yeah, but it brought back some stuff I had long forgotten. He trained me… in the Red Room." She said. He could only describe the look on her face as being concerned.

"You were brainwashed too, right?" Steve asked.

She nodded.

"Well maybe there's some stuff you need to get back as well." He said.

"I know I was a bad person before. I accept it because I can't change it. Now, I do good. But when I find out stuff that I thought I forgot or can't remember… it's unsettling." She explained.

"I can see how it would be." Steve said, getting up to get his breakfast.

"Morning everybody." Sam yawned walking out of his room. "What are we doing today?"

"We need to go to town to get some more clothes for Bucky seeing as he only has what he's wearing." Steve said.

"You guys might also want to get some swim trunks if you didn't bring them. The lake's nice for swimming." Natasha suggested.

"Alright, we'll add that to our list too." Steve said.

Then Bucky quietly walked out of his room and into the kitchen. He walked over to the coffee machine to make some coffee.

"Uh… how do you work this thing?" He asked awkwardly.

"Just press that button on top. It'll heat the water for you. Then when it's ready put one of those little cups in and it'll make the coffee." Natasha explained.

"Thanks." He muttered.

"Another thing we'll have to do is give you a hair cut." Sam laughed.

"No." Bucky stated.

"No offense, but it's looking a little ratty." Sam said.

"I like it the way it is." Bucky growled defensively.

"Well you'll at least have to wash it." Sam said, noticing the tone in his voice and not wanting to push him.

"That's fine, just not cutting it." He scowled, sitting down with his coffee.

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><p><strong>AN**: Thank you for reading, please review! I tried to work on making Bucky a little darker this chapter, too, so let me know how I did!

And make sure to check out the poll on my profile and my new fic that I'm co-writing with **Super Hero 101** called The Club. It's a crossover about Loki, Bucky, Captain Hook (from Once Upon a Time) and more characters to come making a club. It's mostly humor and very AU and OOC. You should check it out!


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